There are many fantastic sourdough pizza recipes available, but this is my no-fuss sourdough pizza that I use for the majority of my pizzas. I bake all of my pizzas in my regular home oven. You definitely can make an amazing pizza at home without any special oven.
This is my favorite pizza recipe because takes the least preparation because the dough is the same as my basic sourdough recipe! I usually prepare double of my basic sourdough recipe (enough for two loaves), bake one loaf as usual and use the other for pizza. I follow the whole process through the shaping, and when it is time for dinner, I flatten the dough into a pizza shape, add toppings and bake it. This process doesn’t require too much additional planning if you are already in the habit of baking sourdough frequently.
Pizza size and crust details
This pizza recipe makes one large ~16 inch pizza. You could easily divide the dough and make smaller pizzas if you would like. The crust is crispy and chewy on the edges, but the interior crust underneath the pizza toppings is thin. This crust has a lot of flavor because it is sourdough, especially if your dough has been in the refrigerator for a couple days.
If you are looking for a super thin pizza crust, I might post another recipe in the future so keep a lookout.
Sourdough Pizza Equipment:
Pizza stone
I recommend using a pizza stone to bake the pizza. This really helps make the crust crispy because it retains the heat in the stove.
I’ve also heard good things about pizza steels, but I haven’t used one myself.
Pizza peel
A pizza peel is necessary for sliding the pizza in and out of the oven. I prefer the wood pizza peels.
Pizza Pan (optional)
I assemble my pizza on a round pizza pan with holes in the bottom like this one:
Then I bake my pizza in this pan on top of the stone until the crust is cooked enough that I can easily slide the pizza off of the pan and onto the stone. This isn’t necessary if you can get your pizza directly onto the stone easily after assembling it, but I find this quite challenging. Using the pan helps me avoid accidentally dropping all of the toppings off the pizza in the oven.
Pasty brush (optional)
Actually I didn’t have one of these brushes for years so it is totally optional, but I find it useful for spreading the olive oil and sauce evenly on the dough. If you don’t have a pastry brush, you can just lightly spread the olive oil and sauce with a spoon or spatula.
Toppings
You can add whatever toppings you would like. I have included an easy pizza sauce recipe, but you could definitely use store bought sauce.
My usual toppings:
- tomato sauce
- fresh mozzarella
- red onions (sliced)
- frozen artichoke hearts
- bell peppers (sliced)
One piece of advice I have for toppings: be aware of the water content of your toppings. If a topping is very watery, try to squeeze out some water in a paper towel. For example, if I am using fresh mozzarella, I squeeze out some of the excess moisture before adding it to the pizza. If your toppings are too wet, they can easily slide off the pizza. Alternatively, if you are adding something dry like sun-dried tomatoes, I recommend soaking them in water before adding to the pizza. That way, they won’t burn in the oven.
Sourdough Pizza
Equipment
- Large container or mixing bowl
- pizza stone
- Pizza Peel
- pizza pan (optional)
- food processor or immersion blender (if making the sauce)
Ingredients
Ingredients for Leaven (Levain)
- 90 g sourdough starter
- 260 g water
- 180 g bread flour
- 70 g whole wheat flour
Ingredients for the Dough
- leaven (from above)
- 300 g bread flour
- 110 g water
- 8 g salt (about 1 teaspoon)
Pizza sauce ingredients (optional)
- 28 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes
- 2-3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- red pepper flakes (optional)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- fresh or dried basil (to taste)
Pizza toppings
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4-6 oz mozzarella, broken into small pieces or grated squeeze out any excess moisture
- any other toppings such as red onion, pepperoni, artichoke hearts, olives
Instructions
Mix the leaven
- Mix all the ingredients for the leaven together in a large bowl or a container like one of these.
- Cover and refrigerate for 12-48 hours. The leaven is ready to use when it is very bubbly.
Mix the Dough
- Next, mix the above ingredients together to make the dough. There is no need to knead the dough with a stand mixer or by hand, just gently mix it until combined.
- Once the ingredients are mixed together, cover and refrigerate the dough for 24 – 72 hours or until billowy and elastic. Stretch and fold the dough about 2-8 times during this time (depending on your schedule) by pulling up the edges of the dough and folding inward.
Shape the Dough
- Then, remove the dough from the bowl or container and shape the dough into a tight ball. Then fold it 4 times to create a seam at the bottom. Let the dough rest on the counter seam side down for about 20 minutes.
- Then, lightly flour (I use rice flour to prevent sticking) a kitchen towel in a bowl. Place the loaf seam side up into the bowl, dust with flour and cover with the towel. Refrigerate the shaped dough for at least 12 hours or until you're ready to bake the pizza.
Preheat the oven and prepare the pizza toppings
- Preheat your oven to 500 °F (with the pizza stone)
- If you are making the sauce, add all of the sauce ingredients a food processor and pulse until desired texture. Adjust seasonings to your tastes.
- Place all the other toppings on the counter so they are ready to go, and chop anything that needs to be chopped.
Assemble the pizza
- If you are using a pizza pan, lightly grease it with oil or butter so the pizza doesn't stick. If you are not using a pizza pan, line your pizza peel with parchment paper, then assemble the pizza on top of the parchment paper. I find it easier to get the pizza in the oven this way.
- Then, gently stretch out your dough from the middle outward onto the pan or parchment paper. I stretch mine until it reaches the edges of my pan.
- Once the dough is stretched out as you would like it, drizzle olive oil onto the dough and lightly spread it so it covers the dough in a very thin layer all the way to the edges. I use a pastry brush to spread the olive oil more easily.
- Then, add a few spoonfuls of sauce and lightly spread it until about 3/4 – 1 inch from the edge. Note: you will have extra sauce if you used my recipe above (it can be used for pasta).
- Then, add the cheese and the rest of your desired toppings.
Bake the pizza
- Put the pizza in the oven and bake. If you are using the pizza pan, check if the crust is firm enough to slide the pizza directly onto the stone after 10-15 minutes. Bake until golden brown (usually about 15-25 minutes).
- Remove the pizza from the oven using the pizza peel, and allow to cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving.